ICY DOCK is a leading manufacturer of removable hard drive enclosures. Since our company has always been about the customers, we wanted to create an informal avenue for us to communicate with you! Hopefully, these blogs will provide you with insights and opinions about ICY DOCK products.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Icy Dock prides itself on high quality products for professional users. We build products that you can rely on even when mission critical data is at hand. After all this hard work, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if it is paying off.

We are here to tell you it IS paying off, and we have the awards to prove it!

Below is a list of some recent reviews of our products in which our trusty team of experienced and honest reviewers give readers an inside look at our storage enclosures. These are extremely beneficial and insightful since a hands-on shopping experience is not always available.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Portable operating systems can be beneficial for practically any user in almost any situation. Regardless of profession or occupation, a majority of today's users tend to operate on several different computers for their daily functions. Users can utilize their personal desktop preferences on multiple systems by using a portable OS on any computer that is capable of booting from a USB drive. This means that you can carry all your personal desktop settings, applications, music, and documents with you on a single portable device. Utilizing a portable OS is also effective if you need to access any data from a hard disk of a computer that has crashed or won't boot. It is the perfect solution for students and or business people that are always on the go and hate having to use different computer systems or worrying about compatibility of programs.

With current technology, you can take the portable OS to even greater lengths by utilizing Super Speed USB 3.0 and a Solid State Drive. This way, your portable OS will be low powered and extremely fast. Solid state drives are also known to be much more shock resistant than normal disk hard drives, a feature that is very important considering that the device will be mobile.

Icy Dock's new MB668U3-1SB is a small tool-less external 2.5" SSD/HDD enclosure with the Super Speed USB 3.0 interface that can reach transfer speeds of up to 5.0 Gbps! That is 10x faster than USB 2.0! This state of the art enclosure is manufactured with an aluminum body optimal for cooling and durability. It conveniently fits into a pocket with its extremely light weight and small size. The MB668U3-1SB is the perfect enclosure to use for a portable operating system.

Setting up an operating system on a SSD in a portable enclosure like the MB668U3-1SB is a much simpler process than most people think. For example, let’s say that you want to install Linux Ubuntu on an Intel X25-M or OCZ Vertex SSD. The Ubuntu website gives excellent instructions on how to use the boot/install image from a CD or thumb drive, and gives instructions on how to do it from a PC, MAC, or Linux based operating system. First, go to http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download and select the version you wish to download (32 or 64 bit). Then select whether to boot from a CD or thumb drive, and what operating system you will be using to create the boot tool. Now, here comes the magic: after you boot to your CD or thumb drive, you can choose to install Ubuntu to the machine. During this process, you can choose the MB668U3-1SB with your SSD inside as your target drive, and just like if you were installing it to a system drive, Ubuntu will be placed on your mobile drive.

Once you have Linux installed on the SSD in your super speed USB 3.0 MB668U3-1SB, you’ll be ready to run your portable OS from any computer as long as it is capable of booting from an USB device.* Simply change the boot order of your BIOS, or enter the boot menu of the BIOS and select your USB drive. This will give you native speeds from your processor, memory, video card, and all system features from any system that you decide to boot from.

But what if I can't utilize the super speed of MB668U3-1SB because my computer doesn't support USB 3.0? Not to worry, there are simple and affordable solutions for upgrading your computer to USB 3.0! Currently, there are several USB 3.0 PCI Express cards such as the ASUS U3S6 that can add two USB 3.0 ports on your computer at a low cost of only about $30. There are also several low priced USB 3.0 adapter cards on the market for use with notebook computers. If you plan on using an adapter card, it is important to make sure that your motherboard can support booting from the adapter card.** USB 3.0 is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 which is available on almost all computers!

Using the MB668U3-1SB with a SSD for a portable Super Speed OS is an excellent solution for users that are always on the go and are looking for a consistent use of the same OS on multiple computer stations. It is convenient and cost efficient compared to other all-in-one portable operating system options which retails from $220.00 to $820.00 depending on the size of the SSD. Icy Dock's MB668U3-1SB is also certified by Gigabyte! Make your daily computer use at home, work and school easier with the MB668U3-1SB as a small portable Super Speed operating system!

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Introducing the Icy Dock MB994SP-4S Quad Bay 2.5" SATA/SAS Mobile Rack for use in a single 5.25" device bay. This product is constructed of heavy duty metal to hold up in the toughest of conditions. It includes ventilation slots on the front, back, top and bottom for maximum airflow to keep both SATA and SAS drives running cool, and an LED is placed on the front of each drive tray to give the user drive status at all times. Dual 4-pin power connectors are used to ensure a consistent power supply to all 4 drives, whether they are low power SSD’s or power hungry 15000 RPM SAS drives. Also included are dual 40mm cooling fans to keep the drives running in at optimal temperatures in even the most intense applications.

Utilizing its small form factor, The MB994SP-4S is perfect for use in industrial PCs, servers, or any small form factor case where 5.25” bays are limited and large drive capacity is needed, especially compact RAID 5 systems. It is built to function in the most demanding environments including military and law enforcement deployment, as well as manufacturing conditions such as embedded control systems and factory automation systems. The heavy metal design makes it ideal for placement in rugged environments.

MB994SP-4S Features:

* Fits 4 x 2.5" SATA I / II / III and SAS HDD/SSD

* Accommodates Drives with up to 15mm Height

* Fits 4 Drives into a Single 5.25" Device Bay

* Status LED on Front for Each Drive

* Full Metal EZ Slide Mini Tray System with Full Cage Design

* Small Form Factor Perfect for IPC, Servers, and Small Form Factor Cases.